Refrigerator car insulation and method of applying it



Sept. 23, 1941. E. w. PARsoN ETAL 2,256,961

y REFRIGERATOR CAR INSULATION AND METHOD 0F APPLYING IT Filed Jan. 24,1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l SePf- 23 1941- E. w. PEARSON ET AL l 2.256,96]

REFRIGERATOR CAR INSULATION AND MEIHOD 0F APPLYING IT -.1\ Filed Jan.24. 1940 j( 2z Z, F

2 sheets-sheet 2 I? Patented Sept. 23, 1941 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICEREFRIGERATOR CAR INSULATION AND METHOD F APPLYING IT Ernest W. Pearsonand Douglas J. Baillie, Montreal, Quebec, 'Canada Application January24, 194-0, Serial No.'315',358

(Cl. 2li- 4) 17 Claims.

l tion.

Refrigerator car walls are now commonly composed of an outer wood orsteel sheathing supported by framing posts and braces of steel or wood,a lining of metal but more usually wood sheathing spaced from the outersheathing, and an intermediate iiller of insulation applied in the formof sheets or blankets of fibrous insulating material. As the car issubject Ato all sorts of train shocks which tend to shake the insulationdown if it is not held securely and properly in place, the insulationmust be permanently fastened to the walls. In fastening this insulationto the walls, it has been necessary to batten the blankets down withvertical squeeze strips anda belt rails, which compress a substantialarea of the insulation in a car. This compression of the insulationmaterially reduces its efficiency as an insulator at the areas ofcompression.

It is therefore an important object yof this invention to provideimproved means for supporting the insulationwith a minimum ofcompression, and to simplify the application of blanket forms ofinsulation to a car.

`Another object of the invention is to eliminate the heavy wood beltrails and squeeze strips formerly required and thus to reduce the weightof the car.

, A further object of the invention is to provide means to4 suport andmaintain successive sheets of insulation in place while other sheets arebeing added, and also to support the insulation securely and permanentlyafter installation to prevent shifting or shaking down of the insulationunder all conditions of service.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedmethod of applying insulation to the walls of a refrigerator car inaccordance with this invention.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, theaccompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of arailroad car with a section thereof broken away to illustrate theinterior' of the car with the insulation applied; g

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the Wall of a refrigerator car as shown inFig. 1 showing one of the insulation supports with the insulationapplied thereto; 'f

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the means and method of applyinginsulation blankets to the insulation supports;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of oneof the toolsused for applying theinsulation;

Fig.l 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 with a different form ofinsulation support mounted betwen one ofthe structural members of thecar and the outer side wall of the car;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of one form of insulation support with aninsulation keeper therefor;

Fig. 7 is a perspective of another form of insulation holder'which hasno keeper at its freev end; and Fig. 8 shows an insulation support keywhich may be used for engaging successive sheets of insulation as theyare applied to the holding bars, and may also be used as a key to lockthe insulation upon one of the insulation supports.

Blanket insulation is commonly applied to refrigerator car Walls in acontinuous blanketf from the door post on one side, along the side,around the car end and the opposed side to the corresponding door poston the opposed side. The blankets or sheets are approximately eight-feetwide by forty feet long and contained in rolls which are bulky and heavyto handle and cumbersome to apply. Each layer must be secure in place atfrequent intervals to hold it in proper position. After the requirednumber o f layers are superposed, they have heretofore been compressedtogether and permanently Asecured by squeeze strips and belt railsattached to the car framing. This method of application is tedious anddilcult, the layers are liable to slip, sag, and

become displaced, and compression of substantial areas of vtheinsulation at ,close intervals correspondingly reduces its efficiency asan insulator.

These objections are overcome in the present invention by the provisionof aplurality of fixed insulation supports projecting from the insidewall of a car, or other wall to which insulation is to be applied. Theinsulation is applied to these supports by forcing the blanketor sheetinsulation over the ends of the respective supports, which permanentlyhold each sheet in fixed position without compression of the insulation.l

Referring 4now more particularly to the drawings, a portion of arefrigerator car I0 isshown in Fig. 1 having one wall thereof brokenaway to indicate the application of insulation to the opposed wall in acontinuous-sheet extending from 'a door opening Il at one sidelof thecar around A the end of the car and to the corresponding door opening atthe other side of the car. The walls of refrigerator cars generally arecomposed, as shown in Fig. 2, of an outer wood or steel sheathing l2with upright framing posts .13, an inside lining I4 of wood `sheathingor other suitable material, andinterposed blankets l5 of insulation. Thecar may also be .provided with an inside sheet metal shellv or wall I6located inside of the lining I4 and bent or iluted to provide verticalair spaces or convection ducts I'l, although this construction forms nopart of the present invention.

the attachment and support of the insulating' sheets or blankets.'I'hese are preferably made of a loose fibrous mass felted or quiltedtogether to provide a continuous flexible sheet which provides asatisfactory insulation'between the inner and outer walls for thermalinsulating purposes. The blankets are frequently applied in multiplelayers, the number varying according to the thickness of theindividualvlayers and the amount of insulation' required.-

causes no substantial wave or As each blanket or sheet of insulation isseparatelyl applied, considerable diiculty has been experiencedheretofore inholding one sheet in position without unduly compressing itat intervals while the next and adjacent sheets `are being applied, andthen in securing all of the insulation applied thereto, others may besecured directly to the outer wall of the car. and others as showninFig. 5, between the car wall and structural'members such as the post`,rconstructed of an angle `bar 36 and a wood bar 31 secured thereto,abutting the end 21 of the support 2|. The engagement'of this bar withthe insulation V deiiection thereof as the framing post is at the insideof the insulation rather than at the outside and the insulation is heldin place on the supports in either case without danger of.disengagementtherefrom.

In applying sheet insulation of this kind to the barbs, it isimpractical and destructive of insulating efiiciency to provide spacedperforasheets permanently in place. In this invention a plurality ofbarbed supports 2l or 2| are permanently `attached to framing posts I3or 'di-I rectly to the outer walls I2 of a car by bolts 22 or othersuitable fastening means.

Each support' has an attachment base 23 with perforations 24 throughwhich the fastening bolts extend, and perpendicular thereto a projectingsubstantially flat spear 25 with reversely turned points or barbs 26along both edges and an outer sharpened or pointed extremity 21.Reinforcing each spear a strengthening rib 26 is shown as'cast integraltherewith, and running from the base 23 along a substantial'length ofthe spear.

At the outer end of one form of the spear shown in Fig. 6 is a hole 30to receive the tongue or projection 3| of the insulation keeper 32 whichhas a slot or recess 33 below the tongue adapted to be seated overthe-pointed end 21 of the post or spear 25. This keeper 32 serves toform an abutment for the end of the spear, protecting the pointed edgethereof, to hold the.' layers of insulation on the spear post, and as a.spacer between the spear point 21 and the sheathing I4.

Another form of support 2| is shown in Fig.

. 7, and installed in a car wall in Fig. 5. This form is particularlysuitable where the free end of the support is to bear directly against.permanent structural units inside the car as shown .innige ,If a lessnumber of insulation blankets than is providedfor by the number of barbsupon the support is used, a key 34,shown in Fig. 8, can be used to lockthe blanket in position upon the support.

This key is preferably U-shaped in form and the 'space in a recess 35between the legs is suiiicient to permit engagement of the key with Aone or more ofthe shoulders formed by the opposed bar points 26.

'I'he key 34 may also be used for engaging the insulation sheetstemporarily while successive insulation .blankets are applied lto thesupports. After one blanket is applied to the supports 2| the -keys 34may be loosely applied to the insulation supports, and as the nextblanket is applied thereto, the keys 34 may be successivelyV removed forthe free application of the insulationA to the supports. The key 34 maybe used with' the supports 23 in the same manner.

In the application of insulation to a refrigerator car the supports 26and 2| may-be spaced apart or alternated in vertical rows. The supportsmay be mounted upon framing posts 3 secured to the outer wall of thecar, as shown in tions in the blankets for receiving the supports. Theinsulation is therefore forced over the pointed extremities of the-'supports and over the successive barbs 26 thereof, depending upon thenumber of layers of the insulation. When the insulation is light or thinthis may be done by hand or by pounding with a.v mallet which forces thesharpened end 21 of the support through the insulation. A tool 4I),- asshown by Figs. 3 and 4, may also be employed. This tool comprises aplate 4| with a. slot 42 therein slightly larger in its dimensions thanthe greatest width ofthe support spear.- Attached to the ends of thisplate are forked extremities 43 of a yoke upon which there is also avhandle 44. The end 45 of the handle is adapted to be struck by a hammeror mallet so that when a sheet of insulation is applied over a support,the application of the tool opposite the point thereof, and forcing thetool inwardly, will cause the insulation to be slit and forced over thesupports as shown in Fig. 3.- The fibrous natureA of the material causesit to engage behind the successive points 26 of each of the barbs uponthe support, thus assuring retention of the insulation upon thesupports. In practice this tool is rapidly applied in succession to eachof the barbed supports as the insulationv is applied thereto. As thesuccessive barbs 26 at each side of the support are graduated in their.distance from the middle, each successive layer or sheet of insulationwill be' separately held and supported by the barbs and supports withoutcompression and without dangerl of displacement.

After all of the layers of insulation are applied 1. In a wallinsulation, a plurality of horizontal supports, said supports bearing aplurality of spaced barbs along the edges thereof and being pointed atthe ends, a plurality of flexible insu'l lating sheets suspended .uponsaid supports and retained thereon in spaced relation to each other bysaid barbs.

2. A wan insulation comprising a plurality of' horizontal supportsaixedto the wall, each supbroken edges, and a" port having ai point andblanket insulation applied nded thereupon and over the supports andengaged by the edges $115136 Fig. 2, thereby forming a wave 0r bulge inthe 75 thereof to prevent removaltherefrom.

32, and the inside sheath- 'A 3. A refrigerator wall insulationcomprising van outer wall, a plurality of pointed supports aili'xed tothe wall, a plurality of insulating sheets impaled upon and suspended bythe pointed supo CII upon barbed supportsprojecting from one lining,spacing the sheets upon the supports by engagement of the barbs thereofto avoid compression of the sheets, and providing an abutment extending'from the other lining to the outer end of the supports with the sheetssupported against removal by the supports.

11. The method of applying insulation to a wall having xed barbedsupports projecting therefrom which comprises'impaling successiveportions from a roll of flexible sheet insulation upon the supportsvuntil the entire sheet is applied,

' holding the applied sheet and portions thereof in having a pointedextremity to perforate the sheets as applied thereto, and theedgesofvthe spear having opposed graduating barbs for engagingsuccessive sheets of insulation and holding them thereon in spacedrelation Without compression and against removal therefrom.

5. A structure in accordance with claim 4 in which the barbed supportsare provided with a keeper for engaging the outer end of each support toconne the sheets applied thereto in place upon the support and toprevent removal therefrom.

6. In the wallinsulation, a plurality of-iiexible insulating sheets anda plurality of fixed supports therefor, each support comprising anattaching base, a substantially flat spear projecting therefrom, thespear having opposedl barbs along the edges thereof and a sharpenedextremity with a perforation adjacent the extremity, anda keeper forth'e outer end of the spear comprising a plate with a recess to embracethe outer sharpened end of the spear and Y a tongue extending therefromto engage the per.- foration. I A I 7. The method of Wall insulationwhich com-4 prises applying flexible sheet insulation to a wall byimpaling successive portions of the sheet upon barbs projecting from thewallv until the entire Wall is covered, and in suspending said portionsof the sheet in position upon said supports while the entire sheet andother sheets are similarly applied.

8. The method of insulating a wall which comprises successively impalingseparate sheets of iiexible fibrous insulation upon the same barbed`supports until the desired thickness is obtained, in applying each sheetseparately to the several supportsin a step by step manner until theWlole sheet is supported, and in spacing the separate sheets apart bytheir engagement with the barbs upon the supports so that they are heldsagless without compression.

9. The method of insulating'a Wall which comprises impaling successiveportions from a roll of flexible fibrous insulation upon barbed supportsprojecting from the `yall until a whole sheet is applied, in pressingthe sheet to engage the widest ends vof the supports, in applyingsuccessive sheets until the desired thickness is obtained, in spacingthe separate sheets apart and preventing their disconnection duringapplication by their engagement with the successive barbs of thesupports to support each sheet in place against sagging and withoutcompression, and in applying an inner cover and holder to the ends ofthe support to prevent disengagement of the sheets.

10. The method of innerA and outer linings which comprises impalingsuccessive sheets of insulating material' insulating a wall having placeagainst removal while other portions and other sheets are applied,forcing each sheet-into engagement with the uncovered barb pointsnearest the wall, spacing the sheets apart. and free from compression onsaid supports, and holding all the sheets in place for the applicationof a cover lining therefor.

,12. A heat insulating w'all comprising an outer wall sheathing, aplurality of supports attached to the inside of the outer wall andextending inwardly therefrom and having sharpened barbs, a

plurality of flexible sheets applied over and perforated by the supportsand held by the barbs in spaced relation without compression and againstremoval fromv said supports, and an inner lining engaging thejinner endsof the supports.

13. In a wall insulation, a support comprising a base for connectionwith a wall and a flat spear body extending from the base and formedwith a plurality of longitudinally spaced barbs adapted separately tosupport a plurality of layers of insulating sheets.

14. In a wall insulation, a support comprising a base for connectionwith a wall and a flat spear body extending from the base, said bodybeing outwardly tapered and formed at its edges with longitudinallyspaced pairs of barbs separately to support a plurality of layers ofinsulating.,

sheets.

- 15. In a wall insulation, a support comprising a base for connectionwitha wall and a flat spear body extending from the base and formed witha plurality of longitudinally spaced barbs adapted separately to supporta plurality of layers of in,- sulating sheets, and a keeper formed witha slot therein to fit over the body and to engage the -barbs to hold asheet on the body.

16. In a wall insulation, a support comprising a base for connectionwith a wall and a fiat spear bod extending from the base and formed witha plgirallty of longitudinally spaced barbs adapted separately tosupport a plurality of layers of insulating sheets, said body beingformed with an opening adjacent its outer end, and a keeper including aplate formed with a recess to receivethel outer edge of the body andwith a tongue exo tending therefrom to t through said opening. v

17. In aA wall insulation, a support comprising a base for connectionwith a wall and a at spear body. extending from -the -base andformed'with a plurality of longitudinally spaced barbs adaptedseparately tosupport a plurality of layers of insulating .sheets incombination with a plate formed with a slot' to receive said body and ayoke connected to the ends of said plate, said plate being adapted to beforced over the body to force an insulating sheet onto it. I

DOUGLAS J. BAILLIFE. ERNEST W. PEARSON.

